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Blog

Sustainability & Innovation

A tonewood log being cut on a Resch sawmill at Pacific Rim Tonewoods, showing precision milling that helps maximize usable wood from each log.
Nothing Wasted: How PRT Gets the Most from Every Log
 Resch & 3 band sawmill—that cost approx. $500,000—is composed of two major components: a stationary guideway, where the log rests, and a moving sawhead. The wood that becomes a guitar... Read more...

Behind the Scenes at PRT

The Long Game: Growing the Next Generation of Figured Maple
The Long Game: Growing the Next Generation of Figured Maple
First planting site: Utopia  Bigleaf maple doesn’t give up its secrets easily. That’s part of the appeal, and the challenge, behind Pacific Rim Tonewood’s Utopia Figured Maple Project.  For the... Read more...

Craftsmanship & Education

Understanding Tonewoods, Part 4: The Science and Sustainability of Acoustic Guitars
Understanding Tonewoods, Part 4: The Science and Sustainability of Acoustic Guitars
We’ve been through quite the journey exploring tonewoods… From the responsiveness of softwood soundboards (Part 1) to the resonance of hardwood backs and sides (Part 2) and the tactile influence... Read more...

Craftsmanship & Education

Understanding Tonewoods, Part 3: Fingerboards & Playability
Understanding Tonewoods, Part 3: Fingerboards & Playability
In Part 1 of our series, we talked about the soundboard—the primary driver of an acoustic guitar’s tone. We looked at how softwoods like Sitka, Lutz, Engelmann, cedar, and redwood... Read more...

Craftsmanship & Education

About Radiation Ratio (RR)
About Radiation Ratio (RR)
Several of our customers have asked about radiation ratio. Here, we’ll describe the concept, discuss its limitations as a grading tool for tonewood, and provide the information needed to calculate... Read more...

Craftsmanship & Education

Understanding Tonewoods, Part 2: Hardwoods for Acoustic Guitar Backs & Sides
Understanding Tonewoods, Part 2: Hardwoods for Acoustic Guitar Backs & Sides
Previously in Part 1 (Softwoods for Acoustic Guitar Soundboards)… We explored why softwoods like Sitka, Lutz, Engelmann, cedar, and redwood are the heart of an acoustic guitar’s voice, defining responsiveness,... Read more...

Craftsmanship & Education

Luthier marking a softwood soundboard blank, outlining the guitar shape before cutting and voicing the top.
Understanding Tonewoods, Part 1: Softwoods for Acoustic Guitar Soundboards
Tonewoods influence sound, playability, and aesthetics, beautifully blending tradition, science, and builder intuition. Softwoods (spruces, cedar, redwood) are used for soundboards because they’re light, stiff, and responsive. Sitka: versatile all-rounder... Read more...

Craftsmanship & Education

Researcher testing guitars inside an anechoic chamber to measure tone and resonance during sonic grading studies.
What Is Sonically Graded Wood (And Why It Matters for Your Next Build)
At first glance, one soundboard may appear identical to another in terms of grain, color, and density.  But once a string is stretched across it, the truth reveals itself.  Two... Read more...

Behind the Scenes at PRT

How We Build Global Relationships with Local Impact
How We Build Global Relationships with Local Impact
At Pacific Rim Tonewoods, we don’t think of ourselves as a company that “sources wood.” We think of ourselves as partners in a global ecosystem. One where the choices we... Read more...

Behind the Scenes at PRT

Hands tracing guitar top shapes onto stacked spruce billets for bookmatching and layout alignment.
From Tree to Tonewood: A Look Inside PRT’s Milling Process
Each log has a history, and it’s our job to help shape its future. Read more...

Craftsmanship & Education

How to Choose the Right Binding Wood for Your Custom Guitar
How to Choose the Right Binding Wood for Your Custom Guitar
In guitar making, it’s often the largest pieces that get the spotlight. You know, that perfectly quartered spruce top, beautifully figured maple back, or the depth of a dark rosewood... Read more...